Color
by SweetPearl
Summary: Dame-Tsuna. No good. Idiot. Stupid. That was all he was. He excelled in nothing, knew nothing- could do nothing. But under that mask was the genius "Hemel" - Said to be the reincarnation of Picasso, a prodigy, a blessing to the human race. If they only knew...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Just- just how many stories am I just publishing...? Agh.

Anyway, Hello there! :D Thank you for checking out this story of mine! *Gives you virtual chocolate chip cookies as a thanks*

P.S - I know Reborn arrives late at night, but I just changed that tiny-teeny thing to morning- so yeah. -_-'

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><p>The hint of linseed oil, the aroma of paint wafting to his nose as he pried the lid off. And it felt blissful. Heavenly, even. Lightly dipping his index in the green, thick and gooey liquid, not caring if it had just stained his finger, he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together; feeling the wonderful sensation that the paint seemed to spread through his hand. Or that might just be his imagination- his heart fluttering at the familiar presence of oil paints.<p>

For him, it wasn't just a box of colors.

It was… freedom.

His life.

A chance to explore things he had never seen, could never do, never accomplish in his life.

And that… breathed life into _him_.

Strokes after strokes, the brush danced across the canvas, splattering color over the whiteness; and made it alive. The colors breathed the beauty of life into him, and in return, he gave it a soul of its own. To each and every painting he ever did. His apron was splashed with paint, yet he didn't care. He never did. Painting was like his child, his blood, his soul mate; something that felt like it was a part of his.

It belonged with him- from the very start of his life.

"_Mama, can I have that?" Six year old Tsuna pointed toward a random box of watercolor, eager to try something rather than his usual crayons; not understanding that it would then later start to shape his very being._

"_Ah?" Nana, his mother, tilted her head to the side as she examined the green box. The title "Camel watercolor: Student grade' had been printed on it in flashy fonts, and it held twelve tubes of colors, if the cover indicated the contents on the inside. "Are you sure, Tsu-kun?"_

"_Yeah!" Tsuna seemed to vibrate with happiness, as he jumped forward to grab the box, his mother chuckling and handing it to him after a little teasing around. _

_Nana smiled fondly at the sight of her one and only child laughing so happily. It made her heart just __**so**__**warm**__ seeing him happy and content. The child never demanded anything- so what was the harm in buying it for him? She had plenty of money with her. And the boy could draw so beautifully; it almost never made sense- whatever he had drawn, but it still was lovely to look at._

_She ruffled his brown locks, still smiling. "Alright then, come on. We still have to buy the brushes, right?" Tsuna nodded rapidly, agreeing with her, and almost dashed toward the section which held paintbrushes with speed rivaling a Cheetah's. Laughing, Nana chased after the child, not caring if the passerby were staring at her oddly._

.

.

.

Sighing again at the numerous offensive scribbles over his desk that were probably written with permanent markers, he laid his messenger bag over them, covering them for the time being. These words- they had long stopped to bother him; but he just couldn't watch the mindless 'slaughter' of the beautiful wooden desk.

His classmates laughed and jeered at him- outright telling him it was done by all of them- but Tsuna paid them no heed and opened his notebook to doodle. He figured it would be easier if he just did that, and he would be safe until class ended- they wouldn't dare to harm him right there; not when the 'Demon of Namimori' was just a moment's width away from them.

His doodle started with spirals and triangles, slowly morphing into the shape of a human face and curled horns around her ears. He found he rather liked the design. M_ight have just to try and incorporate it into my next painting_. Now, his supplies were running out, too, eh… he sure would have to pick a box of _Winsor and Newton _on the way back. The brunet thought, brushing his index against his lips as he mentally calculated which brand would be have to do for this time. He did prefer _Sennelier, _but oil paints had gotten expensive.

Unbeknown to him and everyone in the room, a pair of onyx eyes was watching him carefully, studying his every move.

.

.

.

"Ah, Tsu-kun! Good morning!" Nana greeted, smiling at the brunet as he obviously seemed half-asleep and stumbled around, his hair sticking at all the odd directions and his uniform crumpled at places. "You have been painting again, have you?"

Tsuna flushed and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… it kept bugging me, you know, and I couldn't just sleep!"

"That's the case with every one of your drawings, Tsu-kun!" The woman said, giggling, and Tsuna seemed even more embarrassed.

"W-well, that's…"

"True?" Nana supplied helpfully, flipping the omelet around on her pan. Her reward was that angelic smile plastered on her son's face, thirty-two teeth bared and cheek red like a ripe tomato. "Honestly, you're going to get sick if this continues, Tsu-kun. And you're smelling of paint, again."

Tsuna deflated slightly, promising her that he wouldn't do that again and make sure to get rid of the scent; Nana replied by ruffling his locks and shoving into a chair as she placed a steaming omelet (which smelt very delicious) on a plate in front of him.

She knew he would. Tsuna knew it too. It was just her motherly concern acting up, perhaps.

And there was another reason… too. Something she deeply regretted. The boy never let anyone else see his paintings except her after _that_ one incident. Nana felt a pang of guilt at the thought, but she was interrupted by Tsuna- beaming as usual.

"Thanks, mom!" He grinned and proceeded to stuff his mouth with the omelet, and instantly screaming as the boiling temperature of the food touched his tongue. Giving a glass of water to him, Nana watched in amusement as the boy tried to finally get around eating the egg properly. Seriously…

Her eyes went to that flyer at the pocket of her apron she had picked up, and deemed it the appropriate time to tell her son as he finished eating and was washing up the dish. "Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna turned his head around, his eyebrows raised in question. "There's a good news for you! You're getting a new tutor! See," She held the flyer up for the brunet, and continued, "It's going to be great, right?"'

"Mom! I don't need a teacher!" Tsuna said, finished with the dish, and walked over to snatch the paper from her grasp and read it. "And it looks like a scam too."

"Really? But it didn't really ask for any money…"

The doorbell rang at the exact moment, Nana saying she'd get it, and opened the door. Tsuna mulled over the contents once more. _I don't really like the sound of a home tutor…_

His train of thoughts was interrupted by a squeaky voice.

"Ciaossu! I'm Reborn, the home tutor."

_Name the devil, and he shall be there._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, favs and follows! I'm seriously grateful- and I wasn't really expecting this. THANK YOU. *Gives teary bear hug*

Anyhow, we won't be seeing much of Tsuna's 'painting genius' side, but rather his introduction to Reborn. Hope the chapter's not _too _short? :D

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><p>"Ciaossu! I'm Reborn, the home tutor."<p>

When Reborn said those lines, he was prepared for a lot of things. _"You're a baby!"_, "_Where are your parents, child?", _"_Aw, that's so cute!" _or even- "_Stop joking!" _It was expected, of course, in the form he was cursed in. It was annoying- but it was still the harsh reality.

But the response he got was _not_ in his list of valid replies.

_Absolutely_ not.

As soon as he said those words, the brunet snapped toward him, his eyes widened in surprise. Reborn smirked; maybe he'd also have some 'fun' with this one. At least the kid knew which one to respect.

Then, two things happened. He watched the blood drain from his face, and Tsuna took a wobbly step back to almost stumble on top of his mother. His shaking was barely disguised; his mouth resembling a gaping fish, and whatever words he tried to speak came out as a jumble.

"You- you-"

Reborn cocked an eyebrow. Now, _that_ was definitely interesting. "Me?"

"A-A-Araw-"

_Is he trying to say Arrow?_

But before he could ask about the meaning of the word or say even _anything_, Tsuna collapsed on the hardwood floor, drawing a gasp from Nana who instantly sped to his side. Her face wide with concern, she started shaking him. "Tsu-kun! Tsu-kun! What's wrong!?"

The raven's eyes widened a fraction. _What the…? _

He would have to ask Iemitsu whatever the hell _that was about. _

.

Nana seemed to be an expert in treating people as she carried Tsuna bridal style onto a couch and laid him down tenderly. Checking his breath, heartbeat and pulse one-after-another, she sighed in relief to see they all were normal. She then turned to Reborn, and he half-expected her to snap at him.

But she did none of these, rather, smiled warmly, and said as to reassure him, "Tsu-kun is just tired, you know?" She laughed slightly, "He's been staying up late recently, so it's perhaps the exhaustion. I'll just let him rest… your name is Reborn, right?" She pronounced the name with some difficulty. But at least she _did_ pronounce it correctly.

Reborn simply nodded; his face neutral, and hiding any internal turmoil from the outside world.

"Do you want to eat something?" Reborn tilted his head to the side, thinking. He didn't exactly mind free food- but after this episode… he shook his head in denial.

"No, thank you."

Nana seemed kind-of disheartened being rejected, but brightened up the next second. "I don't think Tsu-kun wouldn't mind you- do you want to-"

With the speed of lightning, the left arm of none other than Tsunayoshi Sawada clamped down on his mother's hand.

"_No_."

Both turned back in surprise. Tsuna had woken up sometime they were talking, the color on his skin somewhat returning. But his eyes…

They were the shade of burning amber instead of the normal brown; fear, yet determination shining through them. They were so painfully similar to the Hyper Dying Will Mode.

"No, mom. **_No_**." He spoke again, stressing each syllable. Reborn noted that Nana didn't seem the least alarmed at his behavior, nor became angry, but just nodded along as it was a daily thing. But that could be her nature, too- given what he had seen past those moments. He would have to observe.

"If you say so, Tsu-kun." His mother softly rubbed his hand, and gave the same comforting smile that had been directed to Reborn moments before. Tsuna visibly relaxed, and straightened himself up in his sit only to glance at Reborn once again. The brunet's eyes widened once more; something akin to fear flashed through his irises for a split second.

But he didn't faint this time, not again.

"I-I'm going to school, mom." He said, haste obvious in voice.

"But, Tsu-kun- how about resting-"

"I'll be fine." Tsuna smiled. Reborn could definitely see the resemblance between the two. He leaned forward as if hugging her, mumbling something inaudible in her ears before he got an 'okay' in reply. Reborn narrowed his eyes. What were they talking about?

Getting up and picking up his backpack from the floor as he stuffed the _bento _inside, Tsuna announced his departure to his mother.

He slung his back on the left shoulder and sprinted forward, all the while avoiding Reborn as a plague.

The raven growled inwardly, waiting for the moment when he'd trip, and Reborn could smirk in victory. (Ahh… just like that idiot Dino). But that instant never came, Tsuna gracefully crossing the little stump before the door before he thrust the door back in a _bang!_

Reborn jumped out of the window hurriedly- one hand grasping the fedora tightly so it wouldn't fly away- to chase after the boy. His lips tugged downwards in a frown.

_Damn._

It didn't take much time to catch up with him, and Reborn jumped on top of the brunet's shoulder. Tsuna didn't stop or even gasp a little, but just gave him a mere passing glance as he continued to move forward. Reborn eagerly waited for a question, a word, a sentence- _anything_ from the brunet so he could teach that brat a lesson. It was annoying to him- stepping so freaking down, but it was the fault of him to act so strangely.

Truth to be told, he was… _taken_ _aback_.

He would never ever mutter it out loud, given his life on line -and he hated to admit it; even to himself, but that was the truth. He never expected this out of every scenario he had thought about. That darned Iemitsu- he never wrote _anything_ about _this_ in the profile Reborn had received.

But he supposed that was expected from him when he hadn't visited his family _for over six years_.

Bastard.

They had been walking quite a long time now, and Reborn could see the outline of Nami-middle in distance. It was no good, if Tsuna didn't talk, he would have to-

"What do you want?" Tsuna said at last, surprising the raven slightly. But it all was masked deep behind his neutral façade not a second after.

"I already said it- I'm going to tutor you. And I'm going to tutor you to become the tenth mafia boss of the most influential mafia family- Vongola."

That made Tsuna screech to a halt.

Reborn blinked, curious as to what his reply would be. It better be _satisfying_. Tsuna simply shook his head, declining, and continued walking, though Reborn could certainly notice the slight shaking of his body and those slightly bigger than normal eyes.

"I-I refuse."

"You can't refuse."

"Why not?"

"Why not take it?" Reborn retorted right back.

"That's none of your business."

"I'm your tutor, so of course it's my business."

"I never agreed to be your student."

"You don't have a choice."

Tsuna didn't reply to that, and sighed softly. Reborn wondered if that meant his student's defeat. "No."

"What?"

"It doesn't mean I've agreed to your plans. It means that it's pointless to discuss with you." Tsuna said as if reading his mind. _And that was supposed to be **my **line, you brat._

Reborn scowled inwardly (again), thinking why his student had so much nerve to speak up against him- and aimed a straight kick toward his forehead. A visible _boom! _Resounded through the street, the pedestrians turned to the duo concernedly. Tsuna didn't budge from his spot, sneakers digging into the road, his hands curled in a ball as his eyelids snapped shut. His whole body was shaking in barely suppressed pain.

_It's alright, Tsuna. I'm here, right?_ A familiar voice whispered at the back of his mind, filling him with much-needed warmth and he felt the pain lessen oh-so-little.

_I-I know. It hurts so much! And he's-_

_It's okay. He's much more powerful than those bullies, I can tell... But you haven't to worry. Just loosen up your body, inhale and exhale. It'll be gone in moments, okay?_

_I'll… try._

Tsuna opened his eyes, ignoring the stars in his vision as he took a deep breath and released it in perfect synchronization- and continued on as if performing a ritual. The pain soon subsided to a dull throb, and he felt normal enough. He took little steps; when that brought lesser protests from his neck, soon broke into a jog. Reborn frowned, jumping on time to land on his shoulder perfectly.

The brunet didn't wince even _once_.

He didn't like this personality of his student.

After a minute or so, they found themselves in front of the gates of Nami-middle. Reborn had already been there the day before when he spied on Tsuna, and it looked like any other middle schools of Japan- Series of buildings lined together in a straight row, interconnected with each other and a long wall surrounding them from all sides except the front. He heard the brunet mutter something about being on time as he took a look at the giant clock drilled on the main building.

"Are you still going to sit on my shoulder?" Tsuna asked softly as he shifted his body weight from one foot to other, awkwardly craning his neck to look at the hitman.

"And if I am?"

"Just remember that Hibari-san doesn't like unknown people who aren't part of the school community step in- baby or otherwise."

Reborn smirked. "We'll see about that. By the way, your class is about to start."

His eyes widening momentarily, he snapped around to see that Reborn was, indeed correct, and he had misjudged the time; dashing straight for the class with a speed that could put Usain Bolt to shame. And later on, how much he tried to pretend that crash on the way was involuntary and couldn't be avoided, Reborn wouldn't stop smirking.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Oh man- I'm SO sorry. I have no excuse as to why I lagged the update for about SEVEN DAYS except, of course, procrastination. I'm _disgusting. Gahh.  
><em>  
>Anyhow though, I'm really thankful for all these reviews, favs and follows- and I can't even begin as to how I'm going to thank you guys. So I'll just stop here, and let you all read the story now.<p>

One thing that should be obvious is that- there _would _be a heck-load of fantasy things (many copied shamelessly from Egyptian mythology- I'm sorry!) but there _would _be painting tid-bits- and Tsuna's painting 'prowess' is the reason how he got himself into the fantasy 'thing' (for a lack of better term now).  
>And one more thing- thank you very much to the guest reviewer ("yaaaaas" XD), your idea was wonderful and not to mention, you gave me the inspiration for the fantasy 'things'. I'm sorry that your idea couldn't be used in it's exact forms and Tsuna would <em>not <em>be able to " turn his paintings into reality", but there would be something similar.

Anyways, happy holidays to everyone and let's proceeeeeeed-

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><p>Tsuna sighed. He had no idea <em>how<em> the hell someone could talk so much. As usual, his English test was a fail. After his classes were done for the day and he was returning home, Reborn had been lecturing (red: blabbing) about how he'd do _this_ and _that _to him if he didn't get his grades up and all- on the way. The brunet had already received six punches, two kicks and five smacks on the back of his cranium.

Yes, he counted.

Yujin-san, on the other hand, was absolutely barking out in laughter, hitting his imaginary kneecaps in a way to control it, but only succeeded in laughing even louder as he couldn't feel any pain. At least not physical.

_Don't laugh, Yujin-san! _Tsuna complained. _He's annoying the hell out of me!_

_That's why I'm laughing, Tsunayoshi! _

More laughing followed. Tsuna wanted nothing other than to punch Yujin-san like Reborn had done to him- how many times, again?

_Hey, I can hear you- _Another bout of laughter- _you know- _and the maniacal cackling episode continued, showing no signs of slowing down.

_I __**hate**__ you._

And he got another blow to his backside in reward. Tsuna doubled over in pain- wincing as his sore back was hit again- not able to hide his discomfort any longer. "What are you doing?" he hissed at the baby. Reborn shrugged, flicking his fedora as an odd glint flashed on his eyes for a split second.

"You were spacing out." He replied nonchalantly.

Exhaling loudly in annoyance, Tsuna straightened up and- _ouch! _- It took quite a bit of willpower to ignore that sting- and almost sprinted away from that _monster._

Reborn smirked victoriously. Yes, _that's_ how a student should act. No other way round.

Yujin-san's laughter had calmed down considerably, but Tsuna had a headache already building up from all those kicking, punching and Yujin-san's laughter hadn't helped much either. He felt like a public punching bag. Tsuna sometime doubted _he_ was Tsuna's ka- no; scratch that- Yujin-san was ninety-nine percent _not_ his ka and just some demon or something- there were devils that could create illusions, right?

_Tsunayoshi, don't take it so personally._ Yujin-san sounded apologetic. _It's just- can you imagine how Araw would react if he saw this Reborn acting like this?_

Tsuna bit the insides of his cheeks to stop the oncoming laugh which was bubbling out of his stomach like soda out of nowhere. Now, if that was the reason he was laughing… _Yujin-san, it would be very bad if I laughed right now. So shut up._

_Aww, I just wanted to share it._

_You chose a very inappropriate time to do so._

_…Yeah._

Tsuna hadn't noticed at all that Reborn (who had resorted to sitting on his 'Leon car' for the way home) had been observing him very closely all those times as he seemingly pouted and smirked and grumbled at open space, and had been storing the information away in his head for future use, all the while smirking happily.

"I'm home!" Tsuna called out as he opened the door. Leon transformed to his normal form, Reborn jumping out of the vehicle at the exact moment.

"Ah, Tsu-kun! Welcome back!" Nana smiled brightly, drying her hands on a kitchen towel- wiping what seemed suspiciously like paint. "And welcome back to you too, Reborn-kun!"

Reborn tipped his fedora, signaling he had heard, and once again claimed the top of Tsuna's shoulder as his seat. The brunet's hair was ridiculously fluffy, as he had found out sometime ago, and he rather liked nestling there, obviously ignoring the annoyed sighs from the original owner.

.

.

.

As Tsuna had been bathing, Reborn decided to snoop around the room. The plan was simple- a bed' shoved side-by-side with the right wall, an open window over it, allowing the necessary light and wind to flow in and out. There was a bookshelf far to the corner of left, and was the tidiest object of the room with books carefully arranged inside. Most of them didn't look like they belonged to a normal teenage boy, but he would examine it later.

A reading table sat by the bed, flooded with papers, books and stationary supplies. Reborn chuckled menacingly, his eyebrows twitching at the sight. _I'll __**make**__ him tidy and organized so that he never even dreams of doing that._

He shifted through them, looking for anything that might be important, when his attention was suddenly gripped by a metallic glint coming from the first drawer.

Blinking curiously, He pulled it open, and picked the object up. It was actually a silver sphere, small in size but definitely made by actual silver. _How did he get it?_

He jiggled it to find the inside was most possibly empty; and something thick and watery was used as a filling. A complicated-looking circle had been curved across the surface, something he would see in a fantasy movie and-

"Give it back!"

Reborn snapped around at the sudden noise.

Tsuna was panting loudly, his body dripping wet and a towel was barely wrapped around his waist as he desperately reached for the orb in the raven's hand. He seemed almost hysterical to Reborn, eyes popping out of his skull with a mixture of emotions practically scribbled across it.

_Fear_. Determination. Anger. _Hurt_.

Reborn, however, quickly masked the shock and it was hidden behind the facade of amusement as he lifted it up far beyond the brunet's reach, jumping on top of the bookshelf. "What if I don't?" He asked, tauntingly twirling the orb in his hand.

"I said GIVE. IT. BACK."

Tsuna was seething, his whole body shook with barely restrained rage.

No one touched _that_.

Reborn frowned, used to temper tantrums- but this was something else. It wasn't a simple temper tantrum. Obviously not. Tsuna was supposedly a _calm_ child and there was no way he could have heard the hitman over the sound of water. So why…

They stared at each other, none wavering.

Moments passed.

Finally, Reborn grumbled and tossed the sphere back to him. "Don't think you're getting off with that attitude."

Tsuna paid no attention to him as he jumped forward to catch the silver ball, cradling it close to his chest instantly as he got a hold of it. So carefully that, if someone thought it was a precious gem that would shatter at the slightest touch, they wouldn't be to blame.

Well, it was _his_ precious gem, and he would protect it _no_ _matter_ _what_. And- and not even _Araw_ wouldn't be able to take it from him. He couldn't forget the _screams_ of _pain_ from Yujin-san just these moments before.

Oh god, he felt so helpless. So- so…

_It's okay, Yujin-san. You're… you're alright now. You'll be fine._

The responding voice was so weak, but he could still hear it. _T-t-thanks… Tsu- Tsuna- yo-yoshi… thank y-you so… much._

_Don't thank me, okay? Just focus on getting better. But can you tell me why this hurt you __**that**__ much? Even Araw himself couldn't…_

_I know. But h-he's… different. Like you- but… n-not like… you. I-_

_Okay, we can think about that later. Now just try to sleep or something so you can focus your energy. _

_Y-yeah… I'll try that._

And he went silent. Tsuna, still holding the sphere, walked to the bathroom, careful to rattle it as little as possible as he shut the door behind him. Reborn simply watched all this wordlessly, knowing Tsuna had spaced out once more.

There was more to the brunet than it met the eyes, it seemed. But he would stop poking around, for _now_.

Because, it was time to teach that dumb Iemitsu a lesson.

.

.

.

"Marcello?"

"My lord?"

"Come and see, rather interesting things are happening out there."

"Ah… is that the painter-brat!?"

"The one and only. He has cured the problem for the time being, it seems, but I don't think Araw's _Mō hitori _is lenient in any way. He's going to question again."

"And they aren't getting off easily."

"That they are. But… don't you think we've influenced Tsunayoshi a bit _too _much?"

"It's not just your fault, my lord. Every mortal is bound get affected after years with us."

"I suppose that can be said…"

.

.

.

The night afterwards the bath was slightly awkward, but the brunet seemed to have forgiven him in stead for thumbing through an anatomy book. He seemed to have an abundance of books concerning the bodily structure of various beings- and it wasn't just limited to humans or mammals. He spent the whole time reading it, and only went out for dinner, Reborn of course following. Nana appeared oblivious to everything as she served dinner, happily commenting on the 'fact of their growing bond'.

She hadn't even minded that the hitman was staying there for an unlimited time, and whether or not that was the result of explanations given by a certain brunet will not be mentioned.

"Mama, your cooking is delicious." Reborn said, genuinely complimenting as he took another bite of the roasted chicken made especially just for him (the others were having traditional Japanese- rice and cooked fish). Iemitsu wasn't just bluffing about his wife's 'amazing cooking skills', he could see. Nana brightened up at the compliment, and thanked him profusely, offering him another piece of the chicken.

He declined, opting for stealing another fish from Tsuna's plate, who had been silent the whole time, soundlessly eating his own meal. Tsuna followed Reborn's hand as he stole the piece of salmon, frowning but still said nothing in reply. It was the fifth time after that he finally shoved his plate forward to him, his brows almost connected together in sheer annoyance.

The hitman blinked curiously.

"Here. If fish from my plate is really that delicious, you can have them." He mumbled before gulping down the water from his glass and the rice from the bowl in one go. Thanking Nana for the meal, he walked up the stairs, face devoid of any emotions. Reborn said nothing in reply, brushing his thumb against his cheek in deep thought.

.

.

.

However awkward or unnerving a situation might be, the hitman knew exactly _how _to turn it to his favor.

"Reborn…" Tsuna hissed, crossing his arms across his chest as he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor. Reborn peacefully dozed off in _Tsuna's _bed, apparently unaware of the annoyed stares his student was giving to him for ambushing his bed. And not to mention, he was utterly helpless to do anything or move the baby because of the hordes of booby traps lining around the bed.

Yujin-san, too, was exasperated; Reborn was _rude_. He didn't care if that baby was a hitman or whatever the hell, but Reborn wanted them to start following their orders, he better do the same, too.

_And we can't visit the realm... _Tsuna thought, a tinge of sadness in his 'tone'. Yujin-san gave him a mental pat in the back.

_Well, that won't last very long. Grab a futon. We'll think of something._

Tsuna could barely restrain his grin as the evil undertones his _ka _implied.

What they didn't know, was that, a part of Reborn's plan was successful and they weren't the only ones planning. If the brunet was sleeping downstairs, he could easily spy around without arousing the other. _Dame-Tsuna will always be dame-Tsuna. _Smirking, Reborn watched as the door slammed shut, separating and concealing both Tsuna and him from each other.

_I'll wait a little till his footsteps fade off. Hmm…_

_Just don't make it too harsh, okay? _Tsuna 'said' as he trudged down the stairs, his back suddenly deciding to hurt again because _just why not_?

_Mmhm. You'll be there too._ Yujin-san paused slightly. _Or are you going to try to sleep again?_

_No way! _Tsuna sounded incredulous. _I'll wake up the whole country!_

Yujin-san didn't chuckle, and Tsuna could sense a bit off solemnity coming from the _ka. That baby had to come at the exact day we were going to buy the potion, huh?_

_Now, now. You're being sad? The world's coming to an end, Yujin-san!_

_Shut up!_

Tsuna welcomed the warm feeling of laughter in his stomach as he giggled; light enough to not wake anyone, yet heavy enough to be said he had been laughing. Yujin-san soon joined except his deepest wishes, cause _Goddamnit _Tsuna's laugh was contagious.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Ahh, I'm really sorry to confuse you guys. It surely wasn't my intention- so I guess I just don't know anything about building up suspense. T.T Anyhow, I'm always very, very thankful for those reviews, views, favs and follows- and I want to do a mad dance around my house each time I get a new one. THANK YOUUUU.

Anyway, there's a bit of "Painter Tsuna" here, along with another tid-bits that would hopefully clear some parts of the confusion. I'm not really proud of this chapter... but still, please enjoy and thank you once again.! :3

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><p>The night went by and morning slowly crept in. Unbeknown to both of the occupants of the house, they both were wide awake, one suffering from nightmares and one out hunting for clues. They were, of course- none other than Tsunayoshi Sawada and Reborn.<p>

Dark circles marring his eyes, Tsuna painted on and on, lying on his stomach, the haunting memories of various _ka_ he had encountered- the memories that wouldn't let him sleep any day, any night; and he could do nothing but endure them- days after days.

Yujin-san kept him company through these hours of distress and loneliness, and occasionally, his mother. It was Tsuna who refused her requests to stay awake; she worked so hard through the whole day- she deserved every little chance of rest she got.

Yujin-san had been beside him through the night, materializing in the pitch black darkness as he softly petted him on the head; his amber eyes glowing slightly as he examined the drawings.

He often wondered… if- if Tsuna hated painting? It was obvious he loved drawing and coloring as a child- he hadn't met him then, of course, his memories supported his theory.

What about now, then?

Tsuna would then flash him a brilliant smile and say, "Of course not, Yujin-san! If I hated it, I wouldn't keep doing it still now, right? Have you ever seen me unhappy anytime while painting?"

He had no answer to that.

That day, unfortunately, wasn't so nice for either Tsuna or Yujin, all because of a certain baby hitman who went with the name 'Reborn'. It was after a lot of sighing, smirks, dodging and running after that he finally arrived to his school, and Reborn (thankfully) decided to just explore the grounds and observe him from distance.

Tsuna boredly rested his head on his palm as he watched the minutes tick by, his eyes almost closing from sleepiness. Yujin-san would be there to wake him up again and again; he hated doing this, but he knew he had to do it for Tsuna.

He had to, didn't he?

.

.

.

Bored out of his mind as he saw that the brunet wasn't doing anything beside staring at the board (or was it the clock?) half-heartedly, got chalk chucked toward him and laughed at by his classmates, Reborn decided to look around Namimori for a bit. There was still an hour and twenty three minutes- to be precise- left until lunch break, so a little look around couldn't really hurt.

He found nothing noteworthy in Tsuna's room- except the silver orb that he dared not disturb (for whatever reason. _God._) And quite a lot of crayons and varieties of pencils that he wasn't expecting to be in Tsuna's room of all people. What did he exactly do with them?

He walked through the various secret alleyways and roads of Namimori, looking out for anything interesting. The town was relatively calm compared to any other he had ever encountered. It was as if nothing mentionable went through it, nothing interesting-

He blinked curiously as he watched people after people walking toward an art gallery, excitedly (and albeit comically) chattering and talking among themselves. The crowd wasn't really light, either- there had to be at least nine hundred to one thousand people, and it was obvious to see the attraction wasn't bound to a single age group. Children to mothers to adolescents to teenage girls and even some businessmen mixed in, it would have to be something very interesting to pique all their interest.

Reborn shifted his eyes to look at the wooden sign-board just placed on to show which artist's exhibition had been going on. Mephistopheles was the title, and the artist was… Hemel. _Hemel? _Such a peculiar name- though he remembered reading something about that person. He (or maybe even she) had never showed his (or her) face to the public, and supposedly painted 'amazing and vivid otherworldly' pieces that left critics speechless.

_Well, let there be a test, eh?_

Reborn thought, jumping down from the tree to land on the ground perfectly as he, too headed toward the entrance, and for once, thanked his size so no one could notice him or that he had no ticket. He smirked amusedly.

…

Needless to say, he was _surprised_. His mouth hung open slightly, his eyes unblinking as he almost devoured the paintings placed around him. The rumor mills running around him were _true_, and his eyes were almost overwhelmed as they tried to take all of them at once. It was beautiful. Goddamnit- it was _amazing_.

The violet phoenix with arched wings and angry eyes almost seemed to glare at him, and Reborn had the distinct feeling that if it was real, it would tore right through him. There was another one; something shrouded with darkness, and only the vague outline of a veiled being could be seen. Even with that, he could see emotion pouring out of the piece, as if they were created from the heart-

Reborn shook his head.

What the hell was he doing- almost fanboying over art pieces? Fine- they were good- _very_ good- but he still had duties as a home tutor to fulfill; and if the watch on his hand was any indicator, he ought to get back to school soon, because it was just seven minutes sort of lunchtime.

.

.

.

_He's gone! _Yujin-san yelled victoriously and they both did a mental fist pump. Grinning slightly, Tsuna crept out of the classroom, ducking behind and crawling through the benches on the back, and was only noticed by the disgruntled students sitting there. Their growls made the teacher throw chalks at them as the brunet successfully went out- invisible to none but Nezu-sensei.

He sure was going to get a good dose of beating later…

Tsuna gulped. Better not to think about it. Yujin-san gave him a consolation pat. Walking down the hallway, looking out for Hibari or anyone from the student council, he ventured up to the fifth floor, the last room where piano classes were held.

The piano teacher was slightly crazy- and had very sensitive skin so he got severe sunburn when exposed to the littlest of sunlight. Hence, the room would be always darkened and the sole window was covered with black blinds. Tsuna thanked whichever deity was up there to make their piano classes to be held in a separate room.

He shut the door behind him, taking care to lock the latch, and straightened up. There was a faint hum of magic and an orange glow beside him, signaling Yujin-san was materializing. The _ka _gave him a grin as he stretched his body, the joints creaking with each movement after being unused for at least hours.

Yujin-san was almost completely similar to him, except that his eyes were the shade of burning wood, his brunet hair longer and spikier, and his posture more regal, taller and literally gave of charisma and confidence.

"Gosh, Tsuna, you make me sound like some prince-y-prat." Yujin-san giggled, making the brunet in turn go tomato in embarrassment. _Why do you hear my thoughts!?_

"Weeeell, because my mind is literally connected with yours?"

Tsuna pouted, and commanded him to just begin his work, which he did gleefully, all the while laughing his ass off.

Closing his eyes as he rested his hand on the wall, he began muttering foreign words, shadows curling around him and flicked into wisps of light, providing the room with twinkles of magical glow. The wisps merged with one another, forming into bigger and greater balls of light. There was a terribly sweet scent in the air, and Tsuna could feel something tugging at his body.

Trudging over beside Yujin-san, he joined the man as he placed his hand over his. The flame surrounded them, and the wall started to open up. Thousands and thousands of tiny beams of shadow shot out toward them, grasping their forms in synchronization. Tsuna let him be pulled toward the portal, and everything around them faded into darkness.

He could see nothing except that halo of light encircling them, flying with unimaginable speed, and unbeknown to himself, smiled at the familiar feeling of traveling through dimensions. Yujin-san's arms were wrapped around his waist as to not let them fly away somewhere far, and he was sharply looking out for any enemies. Tsuna often wondered how he could see- and Yujin-san's answer would be always just a mysterious grin.

The light slowly faded away, and gravity was tugging at both of them before they crashed unceremoniously on the wet ground. Tsuna sputtered. "Yujin-san! Can't you- can't you make the portal land us in a better place!?"

"G-gah- er-" He spat out the mud on his mouth, but more caked his face in hilarious fashion which he tried to wipe with ineffective results. "S-sorry! Yuk!"

Tsuna laughed, wiping his own face with his uniform sleeve. "It helps to wear… less revealing clothes, you know, Yujin-san."

"I'm not wearing revealing clothes!" He growled out. Tsuna smirked, because it was evident to everyone. Who would call a cape wrapped around the throat coupled with shorts 'not revealing'?

"Hmpf." The ka crossed his arms and stood up, offering a hand to Tsuna who had yet to do the same. "Let's just get going."

The brunet giggled again, accepting the outstretched palm as he hefted himself up. "Yeah!"

Together, they both headed toward the 'Market district', passing various alleyways, roads and curves- and the diverse range of demons that loitered in there. Most of them were pretty much harmless- too busied with their own schedules to bother the duo.

Every human had a demonic and a humanoid part of their soul, and it was _not_ metaphorical. The 'evil' in their mind and soul manifested as their demonic counterpart, known by a single word- '_ka'_. The ka grew up on the realm of the shadows as their human equivalent did on Earth, side by side yet so far away.

Many human died without ever meeting their ka.

Most _ka _were mindless, violent, greedy- selfish, true to the source of their birth. But there were always exceptions. More intelligent, more powerful and more human-looking ka could be born- but only _if_ the human was the same.

And that was the relationship was of the two brunets currently walking side-by-side.

Tsuna and Yujin had what they wanted at the lowest part of the realm- sleep potion. Waving at the familiar demon, Yujin stood to lean on the wooden bar.

"**The** **usual**."

Vials of all shapes and sizes were carefully arranged on the bookshelves behind the demon, labels containing runic words slapped on them. A variety of smell lingered around the little store.

Odomos, the demon had a long, sharp beak where his mouth was supposed to be, and a black tail was coiled around his otherwise human-looking, but impossibly black body. Nodding at Yujin, he grabbed a phial by his tail and threw it straight flying toward the demon.

Yujin grasped it with ease, passing it to Tsuna who in turn passed him a little white case. It was given to Odomos, who sighed pleasantly as he opened the box, a mini-sized perfect portrait looking up at him, mirroring him almost entirely.

Grinning, Yujin tugged at a flustered Tsuna to drag him off back to the portal.

"Why are you so embarrassed?"

"W-What if he didn't like my painting?" The brunet managed to sputter out.

He shot Tsuna an incredulous look. He discredited himself _too_ _much_. Their created gateway was almost-closed, the remaining lights fading into darkness. The taller brunet crouched on the ground, mumbling spells as it began to open up and glow.

Soon, they were back to the human world.

Telling the brunet to be careful as he prepared to dematerialize his physical body, he patted Tsuna on the head when a sheepish smile was sent his way. He didn't like being just a simple entity and floating around like a lost soul in Tsuna's mind, but it wasn't really bad either-

"What is going on?"

Time seemed to stop as both brunets froze in place. The squeaky voice of Reborn had become cold as stone, and it was more than enough to send shivers racking through their spinal cords. Yujin could hear both his and Tsuna's heart furiously beating _thump! thump! thump! _Adrenaline coursed through his vein, and his body was in a lockdown as the little voice spoke that one simple sentence.

How had he known?

He had went away, didn't he?

A clock on the nearby classroom ticked on, as if ticking on to his demise.

_Tick_ _tock_, _tick_ _tock_.

Tsuna was the first to recover, whirling around as he faced the baby hitman. None of them knew when Reborn had entered, there was no light, no sound- no aura to even alert them someone was there. The golden wisps floating around Yujin was the sole source of light in the whole room.

He could see the vague outline of his supposed-to-be home tutor, jaw set hard and eyes fierce as a wild predator.

"R-Reborn!?"


End file.
